You're Still Here
by eblonde
Summary: Set in S2. Jane thinks she may have been injured during a mission with Roman. When she passes out, will Kurt be able to put their differences aside to help her?


**This is my first installment of my badthingshappenbingo card on Tumblr. What started out as a small oneshot, became quite a long installment.**

**This is set sometime in S2, before Shepherd and Roman learned Jane's loyalties lay with the FBI.**

**Thanks lurkingwhump for always being there to bounce around ideas with me and for convincing me to start a card.**

**I hope you enjoy :)**

It was late, the rest of the team had long gone home. Jane sat in the office by herself meticulously filling out paperwork from today's events.

Roman had pulled her away on yet another Sandstorm mission, where they had had an altercation with some armed guards. No one had been killed and thankfully she seemed to be the only one who had walked away with minor injuries. The rest of the mission had gone as planned, but like all of the others, seemed completely random and pointless to her.

She signed the last of her paperwork, standing to put it on Weller's desk. A sharp pain radiated through her side, causing her to drop her stack of paperwork. Caught by surprise at the intensity of the pain, she stopped in her tracks, bringing her hand up to clutch her abdomen. She prodded the area softly, clenching her teeth when she hit a particularly painful spot.

She must have taken a hit to the abdomen when they were fighting those guards. She thought back, trying to gauge when the injury must have occurred. Coming up short, she shrugged.

She groaned when she realised all of her freshly filled reports were scattered all over the floor. She bent down slowly, not wanting to aggravate her side further, and picked everything up. Sitting back at her desk, she started the painstaking process of putting everything back in order.

By the time she was done, it was well past midnight. Her eyes hurt and she had a pounding headache. The pain in her side had settled to a dull burning sensation, so long as she didn't move too fast.

Resigned to the fact that this was the best she was going to be able to do tonight, she stood slowly, before collecting her paperwork and heading for Kurt's office. She left her reports in a neat pile on his desk, before retreating to the breakroom.

Her stomach growled loudly - _when was the last time she had eaten?_ Jane frowned when she realised she couldn't remember. She shrugged, fatigue pulling at her senses. She sat down exhausted on the couch, deciding she would rest for just a moment before she made her way back to her safehouse.

* * *

When Kurt entered the NYO, he was already in a bad mood. His morning had already started out with burnt toast, a coffee stained shirt, a flat tyre and a New York cabbie who was only interested in taking the longest route to get the biggest fare out of him. Even through all of that, he had still managed to get to work first.

He stopped by his office first to discard his jacket. He raised an eyebrow at the stack of completed paperwork on his desk.

_When had she had time to do this? _

She had arrived back at the NYO late evening, a little worse for wear. She had sat through another gruelling session from Nas, who insisted she know every detail of each mission. It had been after ten by the time they were finished, and everyone else had gone home to their beds. He had only assumed Jane had as well.

He sighed. She had been pushing herself incredibly hard since her return from the CIA, but not once had he taken the time to ask if she was ok. He had been far too angry, not even wanting to be in the same room as her. He scrubbed a hand over his face. The anger was still there, though it had lessened a little. Deep down he knew she had truly believed she had been protecting them by not saying anything about Oscar….

But she had still lied!

She had still been a part of Mayfair's death. She had still lied about having memories about being Taylor.

He felt his face twitch, the anger building again. He just wanted this all to be over so he could be rid of her once and for all… so he could finally move on with his life.

Deciding that her stack of paperwork could wait, he made his way to the breakroom, in search of a coffee fix that hopefully wouldn't end up on his shirt this time.

The sight that greeted him when he entered the breakroom had his feelings conflicted.

Jane was curled up on the loveseat, her face scrunched in pain even in sleep. She was pale and sweaty, her cheeks tinged with red. He frowned, feeling his anger lesson again.

"Jane." he said gruffly, not wanting to give into the satisfaction of touching her.

She startled awake, her eyes glazed, until recognition cleared her features.

"Kurt?' she asked, scrambling to a sitting position. She winced, the uncontrolled movements sending daggers into her damaged side. She brought her hand to her abdomen again, not able to completely suppress the pained groan that escaped her lips.

Kurt frowned.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, but his voice came out harsher than intended.

Jane forced her face to become impassive, standing stiffly.

"I'm fine." she ground out, before she limped out of the breakroom, using the wall for support as a wave of dizziness clouded her vision.

Kurt watched her leave, again unable to identify his emotions. He busied his hands, making a pot of coffee. He watched through the glass as Jane all but limped back to her desk, clearly in some kind of distress. It hurt him, though didn't surprise him that she could no longer confide in him. He hadn't exactly given her any reason to since she got back.

He decided it would probably be more damaging to her if he suddenly started showing care towards her. She would just try and find an ulterior motive. No, it was probably best if he just left her alone to lick her wounds, though he would be keeping a closer eye on her from now on.

* * *

By the time the rest of the team had arrived, Weller seemed to have thankfully forgotten about their little altercation in the break room.

Jane had been worried that he would reprimand her for sleeping in the office, or that she didn't seem to be in top physical condition. She knew her place. The only reason she was even still here was because she could help them take down Sandstorm. Once that happened, she had no idea where she would end up. Would they send her straight back to the CIA?

The thought made her feel sick, and she had to swallow against the nausea churning in her gut.

Her phone beeped - Patterson was calling them to a meeting.

Jane took a careful breath, as not to aggravate the pain radiating from her side. She schooled her features. _Show no weakness. Pain is a dream. Business as usual._

She stood slowly, making her way to Patterson's lab. She stood in the corner, as per usual, trying to keep as much distance from the rest of the team as she could. She just didn't think she could handle their harsh words or expressions today.

Truth be told, she was starting to suspect something was terribly wrong. What had started out feeling like a bruised muscle, had turned into a sharp pain that radiated down her right side. That, accompanied with the nausea and the fact she thought she had a fever… she was starting to get concerned for her own wellbeing. And that was saying something... maybe she had been hurt worse than she had been willing to admit.

Not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she crossed her arms so she didn't have to clutch her side. Patterson's voice had faded into the background without her realising it, her body suddenly only interested in focusing on the pain in her side and the nausea bubbling up her throat.

She swallowed convulsively, her eyes darting around the room for the nearest exit.

She was so wrapped up in trying to control her suddenly extremely upset stomach, that she hadn't noticed Kurt side-eying her. He was watching her distress with growing concern. Deciding enough was enough, he turned to her, saying her name questioningly.

"Jane?"

He knew there was something really wrong when she didn't respond.

Jane didn't even hear him say her name, her mind too wrapped up in the turmoil within. The pain and nausea intensified, sending her hurtling towards the nearest wastebin, sinking to her knees and vomiting up the meager contents of her stomach. Nothing but bile and acid came up, burning her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, not able to suppress the pained whimpers that escaped between heaves. She pressed her hand to her burning side, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes.

She hadn't noticed that everyone in the room was looking at her, that Kurt was hovering over her, unsure on whether to touch her or not.

Her stomach spasmed again, sending a shockwave of pain coursing through her entire body. She gagged once more, panting heavily into the waste bin. Slowly she became more aware of her surroundings.

Completely mortified, she accepted the tissue Patterson was holding out for her, with a strangled "Thanks."

She looked up at the rest of the team, a mixture of concern and disgust tainted their faces.

"Excuse me." She hissed through another wave of agony, pulling herself to her feet. She grabbed the wastebin and limped painfully towards the door.

"Jane-"

"Im fine." she ground out, her voice hoarse from vomiting.

Kurt and the rest of the team were left staring after her, feeling completely dumbstruck.

Jane discarded the contents of the bin, before making her way to the bathroom. She took a drink out of the tap, rinsing her mouth out, before she cupped cold water in her hands, splashing her fevered cheeks.

She pulled up the hem of her shirt, slightly shocked to see a bloated bulge where her usually flat stomach was. She fingered the bulge gently, biting her lower lip to contain the cry that had tried to escape.

She heard someone enter the bathroom, and quickly yanked her shirt back down.

"What's going on Jane?" she heard Weller ask. She turned around slowly, wishing she didn't have to meet his eye.

"I'm-"

"Don't just say you're fine!" he cut her off, exasperated. "Because clearly you're not."

Jane sighed. There was no way she was going to get out of this.

"It's nothing. Just an upset stomach." She said matter of factly.

Kurt cocked his eyebrow.

"Maybe you should go home." he replied, and Jane could have sworn there was a hint of concern in his voice.

She shook her head.

"I just want to do my job."

"Jane." he said, stepping forward, hands up in a placating gesture. "Clearly you're not well. It would be irresponsible of me to allow you to continue working."

Jane's heart sank. Didn't he realise nothing but emptiness and nightmares waited for her at home?

Resigned to her fate, she nodded, moving to shrug past him, when another round of pain hit her, causing her to double over. She whimpered, clutching at her side again, not able to hide her agony.

She felt a hand on her shoulder… could hear the concern in his voice as he called out to her.

The pain, if possible, intensified, the edges of her vision graying.

She let out an anguished cry, before her world turned black, and she collapsed in a heap into Kurt's arms.

* * *

Kurt watched in horror as Jane was overcome with pain, doubling over. Her face turned three shades paler, before her eyes rolled into the back of her head. He reached out, grabbing her before she fell into a heap on the floor.

He lowered her gently into the recovery position, brushing her hair off of her face. He was shocked at the heat radiating off of her face.

"Jane? Jane?" he called, trying to rouse her. When he got no response, he turned and called out the door. "I need some help in here!"

A few moments later, Zapata and Patterson came rushing into the room, stopping in their tracks at the scene that greeted them.

"What the hell happened?" Tasha asked, kneeling beside them on the floor.

"I don't know." Kurt replied gruffly. "She just collapsed."

"I'll call an ambulance." Patterson said, pulling out her cell phone, her eyes wide in concern. She stepped out of the bathroom, leaving the other two to tend to Jane.

"Help me get her out of these clothes." Kurt ordered. "We need to try and cool her down."

Tasha nodded, helping Kurt sit her up and pulling her jacket and hoodie off. Jane was limp, and still hadn't shown any signs of waking. They pulled her shirt and pants off, leaving her lying in nothing but her underwear.

Tasha could help the gasp that escaped her mouth when she saw the state of the woman she once thought of as a friend. She was incredibly emaciated, her ribs and hip bones jutting out under her tattooed skin. She was muscle, and little else. There were scars zig zagging and warping through her tattoos, giving an indication as to what she went through in the grips of the CIA.

Tasha nodded down towards Jane's stomach.

"That's not right." she said, helping Kurt roll her back into the recovery position. Kurt raised an eyebrow at Tasha. "She's so thin." she started.

"I can see that Tasha." he ground out.

"No… Kurt… she's so thin, but her stomach looks really bloated. Something's not right."

Kurt followed her gaze, looking at Jane's stomach properly.

"You're right." he agreed. He cupped the part of her stomach that was the most swollen, pushing down softly. Even in unconsciousness, Jane reacted to the pain.

"Did she get hurt yesterday?" Tasha asked.

Kurt shook his head. "Not that I know of… but I don't think she would tell us if she did."

They both stared down at her guiltily. Neither of them had been very civil towards Jane these last few months. They had both forgotten what it was like to have her as part of their team. It was easier to have someone to blame, and Jane seemed to be more than happy to cop it.

"There's no bruising." Kurt commented, inspecting her side again. "I don't think this is an injury."

"What is she pregnant?" Tasha spat out, the usual viciousness returning to her voice.

Kurt frowned up at her.

"I certainly hope not." he whispered quietly.

"Paramedics will be here in a minute." Patterson said, returning to the bathroom. "Oh God." she whispered, taking in Jane's frail form.

Zapata and Weller looked up at her, their expressions both angry and guilty.

"How did we let things get this bad?" she asked, clearly upset.

"This isn't our fault." Tasha exclaimed, her voice hard.

"Maybe not, but we didn't exactly do anything to stop it either." Kurt replied softly, placing the back of his hand on her forehead. She was still hot to the touch.

He felt her stir under his hand.

"Jane? Can you hear me?" he asked, leaning over her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, blinking heavily.

"Weller?" she asked weakly.

"Yeah it's me." he replied, giving into the temptation and brushing her hair off her face gently. "You passed out. The paramedics are on their way."

Jane frowned, trying to remember. Her eyes suddenly grew wide when she realised her state of undress.

"Why am I in my underwear?" she ground out, struggling to sit up.

Tasha reached out with surprisingly gentle hands, urging her to lie back down.

"Just relax." she said, her tone the kindest it had been in months. "You have a high fever, we were just trying to cool you down."

Jane seemed to accept that, though she still felt incredible uncomfortable and exposed. She knew how her body looked. How ugly she was. And now she was on display for the whole world to see.

"How's the pain?" Kurt asked.

Jane took a moment to assess herself. She felt awful, nauseous and sore, but the pain in her side had seemed to have dulled.

"Better actually." she replied and Kurt could see she was telling the truth. "I don't think the paramedics are necessary."

"I think we would all feel better if you went and got checked out." Kurt replied, still worried about the swelling in her stomach and her fever.

"What about how I feel?" Jane ground out. "Or do I not get a say in the matter?"

"Jane…"

They were interrupted by the arrival of the paramedics. Kurt and Tasha moved out of the way, giving them room to work. Kurt turned away, unable to look her in the eye. He knew this was yet another right he was taking away from her. But his gut was telling him she really needed to be checked over. He could vaguely hear the EMT's asking her questions, and talking to each other as they took her vitals. Before he knew it they had loaded her onto the gurney, a light sheet covering her to give her at least a little privacy.

* * *

Jane felt completely mortified as she was wheel through the middle of the office, nothing but a light sheet covering her. The paramedics had inserted an IV and administered some pain relief. She had tried to convince them that she didn't need to go to the hospital, but her 103 degree fever and her cry of pain when they palpated her abdomen, hadn't been very persuasive.

She curled in on herself, trying to hide her face from as many onlookers as possible. She could hear them murmuring amongst themselves, and wished that she would just pass out again.

Thankfully they made it down to the waiting ambulance fairly quickly and without incident. They loaded her into the back of the ambulance, and Jane nearly choked when Kurt hopped in beside her.

She stared at him questioningly. Hadn't he already wasted enough time today at her expense?

"You don't have to go through this alone." he said matter of factly, taking the seat opposite her.

Jane chose to stay quiet. She wasn't sure if he was here because he cared and was genuinely worried, or if he wanted to keep an eye on her... to make sure she actually made it to the hospital without causing a fuss.

Jane suspected it was the latter. Why would he suddenly choose to start caring about her now? She had been hurt plenty of times in the field, and he had barely batted an eyelid. So why now?

Maybe it was because he had seen the result of the damage inflicted by the CIA. Maybe he suddenly felt sorry for her because he had seen how wasted away her body had become. How the grueling workouts she pushed herself through each day, had turned her body into muscle and not much more, and the missed meals had melted any remaining fat reserves.

Because there was no way she would let herself believe for a second, that maybe he actually cared.

She was starting to lose the battle with her stomach again. The motion of riding backwards and winding through traffic was making her feel queasy.

She placed her hand on her belly, breathing through her nose and swallowing convulsively.

"Feeling a bit sick there, are we?" one of the paramedics asked.

Jane nodded, not willing to trust opening her mouth.

"Here." the paramedic said kindly, giving her an emesis bag. "I'll get you something for the nausea."

Jane stared down at the bag, willing her stomach to settle. There was no way she was going to vomit in front of Weller for a second time today… especially when she had already passed out into his arms, like some kind of damsel, and then been stripped down to her underwear.

She groaned as they swung through another line of traffic, leaning over the bag panting heavily. She felt a light hand on her back, and was surprised to see Kurt had moved closer to her.

"Just breathe Jane." he murmured. He moved away when the paramedic had the right medication, injecting the anti emetic into her IV.

Moments later, she felt confident enough to sit back up, tucking the bag down the side of the bed for safe keeping.

She stared at Kurt through wide eyes.

"What?" he asked, smiling slightly.

Jane hesitated for a moment, then asked "Why are you being so nice to me?" in a small voice.

Kurt frowned at that. He sighed.

"I'm worried about you Jane." he said finally.

Jane's eyes searched his, and found only truth.

"Why? What has suddenly changed?" she asked, her voice confused.

He thought for a moment, staring into her fevered eyes.

"Something happened today that reminded me of a few things." he said quietly.

Jane just stared at him, not knowing how to respond to that. At her silence he continued.

"I'm not saying I forgive you, but I'm saying that I could… in time."

Jane took a breath and blew it out slowly.

"We've both done some terrible things Jane, but I'm beginning to see that neither of us intended for those things to happen."

Jane's head was spinning. Never did she think she would be having this conversation with Kurt Weller.

"I know you would never deliberately hurt this team… or me… but you still did, and that pain isn't going to just go away… but Jane… I am sorry for the way we have been treating you since you got back… and from the looks of thing, you haven't been treating yourself very well either."

Jane felt her cheeks flush, and knew it had nothing to do with her fever.

"Thank you." she whispered quietly. She could see how sincere he was being and knew he wasn't playing some kind of trick on her. She looked up at him, her chin wobbling. "You have to know I never wanted any of this." she exclaimed.

He frowned again, but nodded.

"Just don't lie to me again Jane."

"I won't lie to you, if you promise not to arrest me again." she quipped.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

"Deal."

Jane sighed, feeling herself relax for the first time in months.

"So what's actually going on?" Kurt asked, his eyes looking down at her stomach.

Jane shrugged her shoulder.

"I'm not sure." she whispered quietly. "I thought that maybe I got hurt during yesterday's mission."

"But you're not sure?" he asked knowingly.

She shook her head.

"I don't remember taking a hit that would have caused this much damage."

Kurt frowned again.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, Jane."

Jane nodded.

"That's just it though… the pain feels better."

"That could just be the painkillers talking." he replied smiling.

"I don't think so. When I woke up in the bathroom, I almost felt relief."

The paramedic caught her eye, staring at her with concern.

"We're here." he said.

They wheeled Jane into a cubicle, Kurt not leaving her side. She saw the paramedic whisper something to the doctor, that seemed to concern him. He nodded and strode straight into the cubicle.

"Miss Doe? I'm Doctor Connors. I understand you've been having some pain in your tummy."

Jane nodded, incredibly embarrassed. She was thankful her and Kurt seemed to have made amends in the back of the ambulance.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Doctor Connors asked kindly.

Jane shook her head. The doctor lay the bed flat, lifting the sheet to expose her stomach. She looked at Kurt, and could see the guilt plastered over his face at the sight of her body. She was distracted by the sudden onslaught of pain, when the doctor started palpating her swollen belly. He was gentle, working his way around the rest of her stomach, until he reached the bottom right side of her stomach. He pressed lightly, and Jane couldn't help but cry out. Kurt grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly.

The doctor put his stethoscope in his ears, listening to Jane's belly.

"Ok Miss Doe." the doctor said, removing his stethoscope and lowering her blanket back down. "I'm going to get a nurse to come in and run some more tests." He lifted the head of the bed back into a sitting position

Jane couldn't reply, too focused on breathing through the pain that seemed to have resurfaced.

"I'll get you some painkillers." he said, before leaving the cubicle.

Kurt sat down on the side of the bed, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"Shh Jane… just breathe." he murmured gently.

A nurse entered sometime later, holding a kidney dish filled with different needles. She administered some pain relief, and another anti emetic, before getting to work changing Jane's IV and taking bloods. She took her heart rate, blood pressure and temperature, jotting it down on her chart.

"We're going to set you up on some saline." the nurse said, hanging the bag above her head. "You're quite dehydrated."

Jane nodded, enjoying the blissful relief the painkillers were giving her. When the nurse had left the room, Jane looked over at Kurt and smiled.

He grinned back. "You're so high." he laughed.

Jane rolled her eyes, trying to keep her face serious, but completely failing.

"This is some good stuff." she murmured. She was starting to have trouble keeping her eyes open.

Kurt chuckled.

"Get some rest." he said, making himself comfortable on the seat beside her. "They will have your test results soon."

Jane let herself relax back into the pillow, riding the waves of euphoria from the morphine. She had never taken strong painkillers as long as she had been Jane. She was starting to see why there were drug addicts in the world.

Some time later, Doctor Connors came back into the cubicle, Jane's chart in his hand. Kurt leant over waking Jane.

"Miss Doe." Doctor Connors said, opening her chart. "Your white count is incredibly high, that with the fever, vomiting and the localised position of your pain, we are suspecting you have a hot appendix."

"Ok?" Jane asked.

"When you were being brought in in the ambulance, the paramedic said that you felt relief when you woke up from unconsciousness.'

"Yeah… the pain was better when I woke." Jane confirmed.

"Sometimes, when a patient experiences debilitating stomach pain, that then disappears, it can indicate that the appendix may have ruptured."

Jane raised an eyebrow, eyes eyes widening.

"That can be life threatening can't it?" she questioned.

The doctor nodded.

"It can be… yes."

Jane blew out a lungful of air, catching Kurt's eye. He looked upset.

"We're going to prep you for an emergency Appendectomy. We'll take you up for an ultrasound first to see what we are working with."

Jane didn't really know what to say. She hadn't expected to hear that news. If her appendix had ruptured, there was a chance she could die. She was prepared to die, but at the hands of Sandstorm, or taking down a perp, not form something that should have been a routine medical procedure.

"We will be transferring you up to surgical shortly. From there an Orderly will take you up to Radiology. Once we have the images, we'll get you into surgery pretty quickly after that."

"Thank you Doctor." Kurt said, shaking the man's hand. Doctor Connors nodded.

"You'll have a chance to talk to a surgeon before the procedure, so any questions you may have will be able to be answered by them."

With that the doctor left them alone again.

Jane couldn't bring herself to look at Kurt. Just this morning they were barely talking, and now he was her only support in a potentially life threatening medical situation. There was a part of her that wished she could call Roman and tell him what was going on. But there was no way she could do that without blowing her cover. The FBI weren't even meant to know he existed.

"You're going to be ok Jane." Kurt said.

She just nodded. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. Why was nothing about her life was normal? She couldn't even get appendicitis without it becoming a life threatening situation.

"Kurt…" she said quietly, deciding she would risk him getting mad at her.

"Yes Jane?"

"I want to text Roman… I think he has a right to know what's going on."

Kurt pursed his lips, thinking for a minute.

"Is that wise?" he asked finally. "You could blow your cover."

"That's why I want to text him." Jane replied. "I'll tell him you're here so he can't come… but he's my brother… and if…"

"You're not going to die Jane." Kurt said adamantly. "But if it makes you feel better texting him, then I don't see why you can't. Besides it will probably look more suspicious if you didn't."

Jane nodded. "That's what it thought."

Kurt pulled her phone out of his pocket. He had put it in there for safe keeping with they had undressed her.

She nodded her thanks and opened her phone, sending her brother a text.

'I'm in hospital with a suspected ruptured appendix. Just thought I would let you know in case anything comes up.'

A moment later, Roman replied.

'Do you want me to come?"

"No. Weller is here.'

'I can make him leave.'

Jane smiled at that.

'I'll be ok. I'll keep you updated.'

She switched her phone off, passing it back to Kurt.

"Thank you." she said sincerely. He nodded. Roman was still her brother, even if her was a bloodthirsty terrorist.

The next hour blurred by in a flurry of activity. The orderly wheeled her up to surgical, before she was taken to radiology for her ultrasound. The technician confirmed her appendix had indeed ruptured. They sent her back to her room where Kurt was waiting.

"Well?" he asked.

"It's ruptured." was all she said in reply.

They sat there quietly until the Surgeon came to visit. The nurse had already been in the prep her for surgery.

"Miss Doe I'm Doctor Michaels." she introduced herself. "I'll be performing your Appendectomy today."

Jane nodded, not willing to trust her voice.

"Now as you know, your appendix has ruptured., which can make this surgery a little trickier than a normal Appendectomy. I will still try and go in Laparoscopically, but there is a chance I will need to open you up. It all depends on how much damage has been done to your bowel."

"What happens after the surgery?" Kurt asked from beside Jane.

"We'll put you on some pretty strong antibiotics. You'll need to receive them intravenously so you'll be in hospital for a few days."

At Jane's silence the doctor asked. "Do you understand everything?"

Jane nodded.

"Yes… I'm just a little scared." she admitted.

The doctor smiled kindly, taking her hand.

"You're in good hands Miss Doe, if i do say so myself."

Jane allowed a small smile.

"Do you have any questions?" Doctor Michaels asked.

Jane shook her head.

"No, thank you."

"Ok, then. Someone will be around to collect you for theatre shortly."

The doctor left the room and Jane shifted uncomfortably under Kurt's stare.

"You're going to be ok Jane." Kurt said, and Jane wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.

* * *

Not five minutes later, a nurse arrived with a wheelchair to take Jane to theatre. She looked worriedly back at Kurt.

"I'll be waiting for you when you get out." he said. She tried to smile, but turned away. Then she was gone.

Kurt sighed. It had been a very emotionally taxing day. He had gone from dispising her, to being concerned for her life. It was sad, yet not surprising that it had taking a situation like this, to make him realise how much he still cared for her.

He pulled his phone out, deciding he should probably fill the team in with what was going on. He dialled Patterson's number.

She picked up on the third ring.

"Weller? How's Jane?" she asked straight away. Patterson had been the only one who had still been amicable towards Jane since her return. "You're on speaker."

"Her appendix ruptured." he replied, getting straight to the point. "They've just taken her through for emergency surgery."

"Is she going to be ok?" he heard Tasha ask. He suspected she was feeling very similarly to how he was.

"The doctor seems to be fairly confident." he replied. "She'll be in hospital for a few days."

"Has she contacted Roman?" Nas asked.

Kurt couldn't help but feel a stab of annoyance toward the NSA agent. All she cared about was the damn mission. Then again, up until a few hours ago, so had he been.

"She sent him a text." he replied shortly.

"A text? What did she say?" she asked incredulously.

"She told him she was in hospital with a ruptured appendix, but not to come because I'm here."

He heard Nas breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ok good. That should appease them for a while."

"Keep us updated on her condition." Patterson said, cutting off any chance Nas had at continuing.

"Will do." he said, before disconnecting the call.

He sat down on the chair beside Jane's empty bed. He was going to do better. To be better. She had been his friend before all of this… she had been more than a friend… and he had just thrown her to the dogs. They had all made mistakes, but he knew she was doing everything she could to try and fix hers. He hadn't done anything. Had just treated her like dirt.

He had been blind to the mistreatment she had been giving her own body, but today's events had his eyes wide open. He was going to help her get through this.

* * *

Jane's surgery took just over an hour. After she had been taken to recovery, her surgeon came to speak to Kurt.

"Everything went really well." she informed him. "I managed to get the affected tissue out and repair the damage. There was a small split at the bottom of her bowel, but I'm confident that I've fixed everything."

Kurt nodded, relief flooding his senses. He hadn't realised how much tension he was holding, until those words allowed him to breathe again.

"Thank you doctor." he said sincerely. "When can I see her?"

"She'll be in recovery for a wee bit. I did end up having to open her up. We will see how she reacts when the anesthetic wears off. A lot of patients can feel quite sick after a surgery like that."

Kurt nodded. He knew Jane was going to be upset at having yet another scar added to her already battered body.

"Now there is something I need to discuss with you." The doctor said, choosing to sit on the bed in front of Kurt."

"Ok?" he asked, though he knew where this was going.

"Jane is incredibly underweight." the doctor said matter of factly. "We are going to have to start her on a treatment for malnutrition along with the antibiotics. She will have to meet with a dietician once a week."

Kurt hung his head, knowing he had been a part of her emaciated state. He still couldn't believe that no one had picked up on it sooner. Though she did wear baggy clothes all of the time, and he must admit, no one was exactly looking for it.

"I'll make sure she cooperates." he said sincerely.

"I would suggest also that maybe she sees a councillor. She's clearly been through… a lot." the doctor said, choosing her words carefully.

"That she has." Kurt agreed.

Seeing that he wasn't going to divulge any more information, the doctor stood.

"Thank you for your help with this." she said. "Someone will bring her back to her room once she is strong enough to leave recovery."

"Thank you." Kurt said again, shaking her hand.

The doctor nodded.

"Just make sure she takes care of herself." she said before leaving the room.

* * *

It was a couple of hours before Jane was wheel back into her room. She had had a bit of trouble coming out of the anesthetic. She had woken to a vortex of dizziness and nausea. It had taken the medical staff a little while to get her vomiting under control. They of course had been worried about the violent heaving, having just had emergency surgery.

Finally the anti emetics had started working, and Jane had managed to get her stomach under control, the dizziness fading as the drug left her system.

She was mildly surprised to find Kurt still waiting in her room. She had thought that surely he had gotten bored by now and left. And yet… here he was. She couldn't help the surge of happiness that filled her chest when she saw he was waiting for her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, once they had her settled back in her bed.

She blew out a lungful of air.

"Better." she said, smiling tiredly. They had informed Kurt of her struggle coming out of the anesthetic.

"Good." he said, returning her smile. "What's that look for?" he asked, noticing she still hadn't stopped smiling at him.

"You're still here." she whispered softly. There had been a small part of her thinking that his actions today hadn't been sincere, but the fact that he was still here had squashed that seed of doubt.

"I told you I would be."

She nodded, staring down at her hands.

"And I'll be there to help with your recovery too Jane."

She looked up at him, knowing he wasn't just talking about the surgery. The doctor had informed her that she would need to be put on a special diet to start gaining some weight and getting healthy again.

"Thank you Kurt." she said softly.

"Of course." he replied sincerely.

They had a long road ahead, both in her physical recovery, but also in the recovery of their friendship. The first steps had been taken, and that was more than either of them had thought would ever happen again.


End file.
